Fire extinguishing exercise for students and staff
Safety month at UiA: Do you dream of becoming a firefighter? Or are you terrified of house fires? On Wednesday, you will have the chance to put out real flames on campus!
This article is more than two years old, and may contain outdated information.
HSE EXERCISE: Students get to test fire extinguishers during a previous HSE course. This is now mandatory for students at the Faculty of Engineering and Science, and for several departments at Health and Sports Science. Senior engineer Thor Mo at the Faculty of Engineering and Science holds the HSE course. (Photo: Helge Wehus)
The fire brigade in both Kristiansand and Grimstad provides fire extinguishers, so that everyone who wants can try, both employees and students.
Both campuses will hold the firefighting exercise between 11:00 and 14:00, on Wednesday 27 October.
- In Grimstad, the exercise will be held at the building lab, at entrance D2.
- In Kristiansand, the exercise will be held on the lawn between building J (Niels Henrik Abel's house) and building I (Ketil Moe's house).
"Those who have previously tried to put out the fire are far more prepared and certain on how to act if they encounter a fire", says Helge Wehus.
He is an HSE consultant and assistant safety manager at UiA, and has had several HSE courses, including firefighting for technology students. Wehus is the contact person for the exercise in Kristiansand, HSE colleague Roger Fromreide is similar in Grimstad.
Seconds and previous training counts
"These kind of exercises are very effective. When there is a fire, all seconds count. The sooner someone starts extinguishing the fire, the greater the chance of putting out the fire and preventing any further damage. When you have learned how to use a fire extinguisher under safe conditions, you will be able to extinguish the fire faster and more efficiently in a real situation", Helge Wehus says.
Watch the video below before heading out to the course. The video also shows useful crisis knowledge, including about cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The video is made by Gunvor Helling at UiA's media center, and is used as an introduction to the HSE courses for students and employees.